


he who sees stars that fade into nothingness

by orphan_account



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Memories, Reunited and It Feels So Good, in a flashback, klangst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-28 21:49:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15715737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Keith watched the star gently scatter across the sky, before fading away as if it were never there. He turned his head to look at Lance, whose mouth was in an O shape, and whose eyes were wide open. Keith swore in that moment, he could see the residue of the fallen star reflected in Lance’s eyes.Keith is reunited with his childhood friend Lance and is reminded of a starry night in a field, watching shooting stars.





	he who sees stars that fade into nothingness

**Author's Note:**

> ok i accidentally managed to delete it the first time i dunno how so i just posted it again!
> 
> hope you enjoy :) i love space and stars and ya this happened

Keith hated blind dates. Why anyone would ever partake in them willingly, Keith had no clue. He hated the idea of having to meet a complete stranger, one you’ve never seen or talked to before, and then have to go on a date with them. It was crazy. So why was he sitting by himself at an almost empty coffee shop waiting for his blind date to show up?

Shiro.

Shiro for some strange reason had been so adamant that Keith do this one blind date. Why? Keith had no idea. Obviously Keith had no interest in it, until Shiro offered a deal. If Keith went on this date, Shiro would clean the dishes in their shared apartment for a whole two weeks straight. This was way too good an offer to pass and Keith quickly agreed, allowing a weirdly overly-excited Shiro to set the whole thing up.

Now that Keith was here, he realised probably should have asked a few more questions. Like why was Shiro so enthusiastic about this blind date, what was the guy even like, or maybe even what the  guy’s name was! Yeah, Keith definitely should have asked a few more questions.

Keith was pulled from his thoughts by someone introducing themselves.

“Hey there, you’re Keith right?”

Keith looked up to see a guy looking at him, his brow raised in question. He had curly brown hair that fell softly into his eyes, which were a deep shade of blue, that Keith felt himself get lost in. He had tan skin, and a face splashed with light freckles, like the stars on a clear, dark night. He was tall, probably a few inches taller than Keith and was wearing a grey NASA shirt with light washed jeans and white Reeboks.

Keith blinked before replying, “Yeah, that’s me. I’m assuming you’re my date?”

The guy chuckled, a sound that sounded oddly familiar to Keith.

“Yup, I’m Lance, one of Shiro’s friends. He told me you’re his brother?”

_Lance._ He used to know a Lance, back in high school. Keith smiled at him, giving him a once over. The Lance he knew was shorter, shorter than Keith in fact, and had straight hair. No it couldn’t be. Then Keith glanced at those hauntedly beautiful blue eyes and he immediately recognised him.

“Hey! I know you! We were in freshman year together! We were super close but then you moved away and we lost touch!”

“Dude, of course I remember you, I was just playing along. I wanted to see how long it would take you to remember me!” Lance shook his head before continuing, “Took you long enough.”

“I can’t believe it’s you!” Keith said and stood up with a smile and gave Lance a gentle hug before pulling back with a sudden frown, “Wait a second, did Shiro know?!”

Lance nodded, laughing at Keith, “Dude this was his whole idea!”

“Of course it was, classic Shiro, I should have noticed something was up.”

“Well I’m gonna go up and order something, I’m starved, you want anything?”

“No, I’m okay, I ordered a few minutes ago.”

“Ok cool, be right back.”

Keith watched Lance walk up to the counter in shock. He couldn’t believe it. This Lance was his Lance from all those years ago. This was the same boy he had sat next to in homeroom and the boy who had quickly become his best friend. Keith had missed Lance a lot over the past few years. They had only known each other for a short amount of time, but Keith remembered he felt he could trust Lance with anything.

They did everything together and knew everything about each other. Lance to this day was the closest friend he had ever had, not including Shiro who was his brother and couldn’t really be counted. Keith was a little shocked that it took him that long to recognise Lance after all those years. After all he had been his closest friend and his first major crush.

As Keith watched Lance point to the cashier what muffin he wanted, Keith was suddenly pulled back into his last and most vivid memory of Lance.

 

…..

“I can’t believe we are gonna be sophomores soon!”

“Ew Keith stop reminding me it’s summer time, live a little!”

Keith stared at Lance pointedly, and gestured around at the scene around him.

“How am I supposed to  _live,_  if I’m sitting in a field in the dark in the middle of nowhere, with you?”

“Ok first of all, rude. Second of all calm your dramatic ass down, we are like five minutes down the road from the beach house.”

This summer, Keith had been spending it at Lance’s beach house. It was kinda in the middle of nowhere and very secluded. They had no television, or service or Wifi, or anything really to connect them to the outside world. But Keith didn’t really mind. He was with Lance and that was better to him than anything else.

Lance had dragged Keith out to this field to show Keith a meteor shower that was supposed to happen that night. Lance was beyond excited, as he had never seen a shooting star before and it was also Keith’s last night and Lance wanted it to go out with a bang. Keith didn’t really care about the meteor shower, but he was secretly touched at the effort Lance was going to for him. Plus it was worth it seeing Lance get all worked up. His face got all red  ~~and he looked really cute too~~.

“Ok it should be starting soon, I’m gonna lay down, so I get a better view and shit.”

“Nerd” Keith said fondly. He copied Lance and lay down next to him in the dry grass.

There was silence between them, but a comfortable one. Keith turned his head slightly and glanced at Lance, whose eyes were focused on the night sky above him. Keith turned back around and gently shut his eyes, taking in the peaceful feeling in the air.

This was one of those rare moments he wished he could freeze and live in forever. A moment of pure happiness, peace and joy. Those picture- perfect moments you wished you could snap through the lens of a camera but you didn’t as you knew it wouldn’t capture the atmosphere, the mood, the beauty of it all correctly.

These moments remained better untouched, Keith had decided. That way they could stay in your head and you could replay it over and over, and still feel all the emotions you felt the first time.

Keith didn’t get many of these moments, so he knew he had to treasure them. Keith hadn’t exactly had the easiest life. His mother had left him and his father, when Keith was only two months old. Keith had not a single memory of her, nor did he really care. She was a stranger to him.

When Keith was eight, he lost his father in a fire in their home back in Texas. Keith’s last memory of his father was him passing Keith over to the fireman through their second storey window. Keith remembered vividly him turning his head around, croaking at his dad to come with him, only to see no one there. It turned out his dad’s last moments were spent ensuring Keith was safe. He was later found face down on the floor by the window, and at the hospital, Keith was told his father had died from smoke inhalation and was a hero.

Keith had never stopped feeling guilty.

He was passed from foster home to foster home, never fitting in anywhere, a lone wolf, until he was taken in by the Shiroganes. He finally found his home, in this small town with his foster family and their son Shiro and now with Lance.

“Ugh this is taking forever!” Lance said suddenly, throwing his hands into the air, and snapping Keith back to reality.

“Calm down, you weirdo be patient. Shooting stars come every ten to fifteen minutes and it hasn’t even been five!” Keith said, turning to face Lance.

Lance looked back at him, looking surprised. “How did you know that?”

Keith felt himself blush. “I may have done a bit of research when you first told me about them…”

“But I told you ages ago! I thought you weren’t that bothered about seeing them! Awh Keef you were secretly excited to see them weren’t you!” Lance said, lightly punching him in the shoulder.

Keith felt himself redden even more.  _No you idiot I did it to impress you!!!_

“Ok, ok maybe I was a little excited”, Keith felt himself say.

“I knew it!” Lance shouted triumphantly, pumping his fist in the air, before laying back down and stating it was now ‘focus time’ for both of them.

Keith turned to focus back on the stars. The night sky out here was incredible. You could see everything in the sky, as there was no pollution hiding it. A pure, unfiltered view.  _Amazing._

Keith felt very small, looking up into the seemingly infinite abyss above him but he also felt strangely whole. The sky was so tragically beautiful _. It’s a graveyard of stars,_ he couldn’t help thinking.

He felt Lance move next to him and was reminded of his presence. He was so grateful to whatever God or being decided to grant him Lance’s friendship. He was kind, charismatic, caring and so so unwaveringly loyal. Keith was sure there was no one else like him in the entire world or even universe. Keith never wanted to lose him.

It felt oddly bittersweet this whole night. He knew he would look back on it fondly in years to come but also sadly. Nothing hurts more than a memory of happiness you will never feel again.

Just as Keith was trying to find the right words to say out-loud to complete the moment, Lance shot up, pointing at the sky.

“Keith, Keith, oh my god look, a shooting star!”

Lance leant over and started shaking Keith, who had also sat up.

“Do you see it, do you see it!!”

“Yes Lance I see it”

Keith watched the star gently scatter across the sky, before fading away as if it were never there. He turned his head to look at Lance, whose mouth was in an O shape, and whose eyes were wide open. Keith swore in that moment, he could see the residue of the fallen star reflected in Lance’s eyes.

_“Sometimes when I look up I see stars_   
_That cut through the sky and fade quickly into nothingness_   
_And I pray that you aren’t as fleeting_   
_Because when we’re lying in roads I get the same feeling_   
_That gravity will just turn off and I’ll fall endlessly_   
_Into something much larger than I am.”_

 

“It’s  _so_ much cooler than I ever could have imagined.” Lance whispered.

“I couldn’t agree more” Keith whispered back.

The rest of the night was spent stargazing, trying to catch more shooting stars. When they realised they had seen all they could for tonight, they laid down and shut their eyes.

“Was it worth it Keith?”

“You know it was.”

 As the minutes passed in a gentle silence, Keith became more and more full of words he was dying to say to Lance. He pushed them away, knowing it was not the time, and whispered.

“I would catch all of the shooting stars in the sky for you.”

It was only then did he realise Lance had fallen asleep and he was whispering into the quiet night.

….

 

“Keith, my dude, are you ok, you’ve been zoned out for ages!”

Keith blinked, and looked down at his cup of coffee in front of him and then looked back up at Lance who was holding a blueberry muffin and looking at him worriedly.

“Oh sorry” He brushed his hands nervously through his hair, “Just thinking.”

“Not a bother”

“Whatever happened to you?” Keith enquired suddenly, “All I knew was when I came back from my trip to Japan at the end of that summer, they told me you and your family had left town?”

“My dad was in the military as you know,” Lance began and Keith nodded in return. “He was suddenly called away to the other side of the country and we all had to leave. I tried to contact you and tell you but for some reason I couldn’t.”

“We stayed in my grandmothers house that year and she has no service or WiFi!” Keith said, slapping his head, “Duh that makes so much sense! I always wondered why you never said goodbye.”

“It was one of my biggest regrets.”

“Mine too.” Keith replied sadly.

A moment of thoughtful silence passed between the two, before Lance spoke softly.

“I never thought I’d see you again.”

“Me either”, Keith admitted.

They both smiled, and began to talk, about the past, and how their lives had changed. They ended up eating two more muffins between them and ordering three more coffees. They made to sure to swap phone numbers and made a plan to meet up again this Friday, this time at Keith’s.

After they had hugged goodbye, Keith whipped out his phone to text Shiro

**To Shirogayne:** I can’t believe u set me up with Lance and offered to do the dishes for two whole weeks!

**From Shirogayne:** it was totally worth it on my end, how are you feeling?

**To Shirogayne:**  never been more happy that u meddled in my life

**Author's Note:**

> the song referenced is you said ok by flatsound ugh so good give it a listen!
> 
> comments and kudos are so so so appreciated! they give me a lot of motivation and just make me happy :D


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